The total number of students who have tested positive for COVID-19 has increased from 312 to 319 as of Nov. 24, according to the Matadors Forward website.

While there are no new COVID-19 cases from independent contractors or CSUN employees, seven more students have tested positive since the website was last updated on Nov. 22. Those who were possibly exposed to any of these new cases have been notified. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, there is currently no outbreak of the virus at CSUN.

A new variant may lead to another wave of COVID infections.

First discovered in the South African city of Gauteng in late November, the new variant was given the name Omicron by the World Health Organization and designated a “variant of concern” within days of its emergence. Not much information is known about the virus as of now.

The Omicron variant has been found in at least 23 countries, including the United States. It was detected in San Francisco, California, on Dec. 1, and the LACDPH reported the first case of the variant in Los Angeles County on Dec. 2.

“Throughout the pandemic, we have always known there would be more mutations, resulting in the possibility of a more dangerous variant than the Delta variant,” said LACDPH Director of Public Health Dr. Barbara Ferrer in a press release. “While we can’t know for certain the impact of Omicron at this time, the good news is that we already know how to reduce transmission and slow spread using both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions.”

CSUN will continue enforcing their current safety practices and follow any updates or guidance from public health organizations, according to Carmen Ramos Chandler, CSUN’s director of media relations. The university does not believe the Omicron virus will have any effect on the spring semester or these last weeks of the fall semester.